Woohoo! It's Friday, and the first day of May! It's the little things that I'm celebrating in this season we find ourselves in. There is much in this season to mourn and grieve, but there are also things worth enjoying and celebrating. As always, here are some fun and formative finds for your Friday. 1. She Laughs Without Fear's New InstagramYou heard that right! This blog now has its own Instagram account! I'm excited to have a social media space as an extension of this blog. So feel free to go follow that account. It will be a great way to receive updates about new posts. 2. The ChosenI've been talking about this new tv series all week with friends! It's a television series that is focused on the life of Jesus through the lens of those that come in contact with him. It is a different way of retelling the stories of Jesus' interactions, miracles, and relationships, but I'm here for it! While some dialogue and scenes have been added, it seeks to stick very closely to the Scriptures while also giving a full picture of the impact Jesus had on people relationally. I cannot recommend this tv series more highly! 3. Easy Eats by AmyA woman that I follow on Instagram just started a food blog, and I can't tell you how excited I am to try some of her recipes - particularly her BBQ meatball recipe. Her meatball recipe will likely be one or two of our dinners this week! 4. Disney's "Magic Happens" ParadeDisney will likely be closed for several months or more, but that doesn't mean that you can't enjoy their parades! I'm really enjoying these fun videos that Disney has been sharing lately and it's something fun in the midst of this pandemic. 5. Habakkuk 3:17-19These verses have been giving my heart comfort this week as we face yet another week of isolation. While I'm hopeful PA will start to move into a "yellow" phase in two weeks, there is no guarantee. I'm sure Habakkuk felt the similar uncertainty of things as he was watching the loss of so much around him. I hope these verses comfort you as well. You can even read them in the quote below and feel free to save the image for your own keeping.
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I don't know about you, but my days look the same lately. This week it was hard to remember what my top five finds were from the week, but then I thought of some of these things. As always, I hope you find them fun and formative. 1. New Morning Mercies: A Daily Gospel DevotionalNow more than ever I need simple and daily encouragement from the Bible as I connect with the Lord during the day. This devotional is a favorite and has been once again helpful in this season of life. 2. "Birthday" | At Home With OlafCan you tell that I'm an Olaf fan? I will gladly watch all of these clips from Disney Animation of the Olaf at Home series. This birthday one is cute, and you might also enjoy Pumpkin. 3. The Discipline of Spiritual DiscernmentI've been reading this book by Tim Challies, and I want to underline everything! I'm a regular reader of Tim Challies blog and appreciate how he writes and explains biblical truths. I'm not quite finished, but this book has offered valuable nuggets on the topic of discernment. If you want to learn more about discernment, this would be a helpful primer. 4. The Bible Explained: PsalmsSpoken Gospel is one of my household's favorite Youtube channels, and over the past year they have been working on creating introductory videos to books of the Bible. Marrying spoken word and performance, Spoken Gospel does an excellent job explaining the central themes of different books of the Bible and how they connect to Jesus. The video linked above is an introductory to Psalms, and it's wonderful! We also love the video for Daniel and Mark. 5. Epic: IndiaTim Challies is releasing a new book and connected mini series called Epic: An Around-the-World Journey through Christian History. Each episode and chapter focuses on artifacts connected to Christian history in specific areas around the world. Challies released this episode focused on India and artifacts connected to Amy Carmichael and William Carey. I'm excited for the full mini series to release to watch the other episodes and to read the related book after they are released. (P.S. Some of the links above are affiliate links, which means that if you click on them and purchase a product, this blog will receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thanks for helping to support She Laughs Without Fear!)
What a week it has been! And what a Friday it is. Here are some links for a little levity for your week. Let me know about your favorite finds from this week. 1. Graves Into GardensThis worship song has been on repeat in our household lately. It's also very timely for this Holy Week leading up to Easter. 2. Animal Crossing: Pocket CampConfession time: Animal Crossing was my favorite digital game to play growing up. I remember playing it with my sister and our neighbors during our middle school years, and we loved it! So when I found out that Nintendo was releasing a new Animal Crossing game, I felt the urge to play again! But I don't own a Nintendo Switch, so the next best thing has been Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp, which is a phone app. It has been a fun little game to play as I find myself with small pockets of free time in this season. 3. Hogwarts Digital Escape RoomIf you're looking for something to do as a family, a librarian from Peters Township Library created a digital escape room for Harry Potter fans! 4. Sight and Sound's Performance of JesusThis weekend only, Sight and Sound's Performance of Jesus will be available to watch on TV and stream online. Brandon and I are huge fans of Sight and Sound and their musical retelling of Bible stories. We didn't get a chance to see this show live, but we're excited to watch it tomorrow! 5. Disney Magic MomentsDisney created some new videos, crafts, and various things for families missing a little Disney in their lives with parks closing and being at home. I'm enjoying a new mini series they are starting with Olaf.
What a week we have had globally. I'm thankful that even as things in our world change daily, our God remains the same everyday. I keep reminding myself that he is in control of the world, and that he is not surprised by this virus. What has been amazing though is seeing how God is already using this virus to bring people together and to unify others. I hope that he also uses it to draw many people to himself. Here is a look at some things I discovered this week for your personal enjoyment while you're socially distant this weekend. 1. Josh Gad Reads StoriesJosh Gad, the voice of Olaf from Frozen, has been reading bedtime stories for those isolated at home, and his reading of Olivia Goes to Venice cracked me up! 2. Gatorade Thirst Quencher PowderI try to keep Gatorade in the house in case Brandon or I end up sick or when one of us might not drink enough water one day and wake up dehydrated the next. However, I was finding that it was difficult to keep the prepared bottles in the house, because one of us would drink them in the times when we didn't need them. But then I remembered that Gatorade makes a powder mix, so I bought one. One powder mix is cheaper than 12+ bottles and makes a lot more than that too! And it means less plastic bottles are coming into my home to either store or recycle. It's a win-win in my book, and the powder mix tastes the same as the prepared bottles anyway. 3. Defining DiscernmentI've been learning a lot about the spiritual gift of discernment lately, and this article by Tim Challies was helpful in understanding more about this spiritual gift and how God uses it in an individual to care for his church. Great resource if you like learning about spiritual gifts or if you think that God might have given you discernment as a spiritual gift. 4. The Lazy Genius Feeds a CrowdI'm a big fan of Kendra Adachi's podcast The Lazy Genius and the hacks that she gives for "being a genius about the things that matter, but lazy about the things that don't." In this episode, she offers advice on how to think about feeding a crowd. Since I tend to feed crowds often, I can tell you that I plan on using a number of the ideas she suggested to love others better and for my own sanity. 5. Try the Bakewell Tart, and other rules I'm living byThis one is from Anne Bogel at the Modern Mrs. Darcy. She shares about how a Bakewell tart (you know, that treat they make on the Great British Baking Show) during her time in Scotland taught her a lesson she's continuing to live by. (P.S. Some of the links above are affiliate links, which means that if you click on them and purchase a product, this blog will receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thanks for helping to support She Laughs Without Fear!)
The flu hit our household last week, which is why I wan't able to send out last week's Friday Five. Oh, and we closed on a house last Friday too. A lot of life has happened around here. So... now I have a bunch of good things to share, but I want to stick to the usual five. 1. Burn the Ships Music VideoThea and I usually listen to music throughout the day, and this song popped up during one of our music listening times. Afterwards, I looked up the music video and the song's meaning and was blown AWAY! This music video is perfect and you should listen to the story behind the song. 2. One Line A Day: A Five-Year Memory JournalI've been using this journal for well over a year now, recording a line or significant memories from each and every day. Now that I'm over a year in, it's lovely to get to read what I wrote on each day a year ago and compare what life looks like now verses a year ago. I can't wait for five years from now to have five years worth of memories to look back on. 3. Pecan Pie BarsThis recipe is one of my favorite sweet treats to bake! I've been wanting to make them recently, and I finally got around to making them this week. If you like pecan pie, let me highly recommend these. 4. Babies DocumentaryBrandon and I watched this documentary series over the past week and enjoyed it. The documentary follows the lives of several babies and the research of different scientists as they focus on areas of baby development: sleep, walking, crawling, eating, etc. It's a fascinating documentary and makes me eager to continue watching Thea develop. 5. Start SmallEmily P. Freeman shared in her podcast, The Next Right Thing, this week about the importance of starting small when it comes to beginning something again or for the first time. This is something I've been thinking a lot about when it comes to good habits. If you want to start a habit, you should start small. One small step at a time. (P.S. Some of the links above are affiliate links, which means that if you click on them and purchase a product, this blog will receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thanks for helping to support She Laughs Without Fear!) Happy Valentine's Day, friends! I love Valentine's Day. Growing up, my family celebrated it as a day to love the people in your life, not just a significant other. My husband and I don't celebrate the day with a big gestures, but rather with small out of the ordinary fun, like having a fancy dinner at home or writing love notes. Anyways, no matter how you feel about Valentine's Day, I hope that you know that you are deeply loved by the One who made you. Our top five for this week are not love related, but they're good ones nonetheless. Enjoy them and feel free to let me know what your top five are below. 1. "Into the Unknown" at Oscars 2020I didn't watch the Oscars this year, but heard about this performance. Idina Menzel performs "Into the Unknown" with the women that sing the song in international versions of Frozen II. 2. The Advance of the New LegalismThis idea has been coming up in my life a lot lately, and I was thankfully for the article's thoughtful consideration and warning of a new kind of legalism. 3. 21 Tiny Habits That Will Make Everything You Cook Taste BetterTricks and tips for cooking are some of my favorite things to learn about, and this post offers some great ones. 4. 17 (Legit Useful) Food Hacks That Actually WorkIt was a week learning about food hacks, I guess. 5. How to Get Started With Blogging in 2020If you want to start blogging, Tim Challies offers so helpful tips for beginning to blog.
A collection of this week's five things found around the interwebs for your pondering and enjoyment: 1. The Inefficient Ministry of Motherhood"For mothers of young children as well as all Christian women, when we are willing to be spent in inefficiency for the most tender, impressionable, and helpless among us, we are choosing the good portion that will not be taken away from us." I need to be reminded of this daily, when caring for my daughter feels overwhelming. I'm doing kingdom work by caring for her needs and discipling her heart. 2. Handle with Care: How Jesus Redeems the Power of Touch in Life and MinistryJust finished reading this new release by Lore Wilbert and wooheee! What a thinker! The topic of touch is not one I have thought a lot about in relation to how Jesus uses touch to minister to people, but this is a great primer on the subject. My only feedback is that I wish Lore would have explored more Scriptures about touch - particularly how touch is a big part of the levitical law. 3. You Are Your Habits / Interview with James ClearI cannot recommend the book Atomic Habits by James Clear enough! It is an excellent book about habits and how to actually form good habits that form us as people - not just for reaching arbitrary goals. One of my favorite writers, Jefferson Bethke, interviews James Clear in this video, and they discuss how the idea of habit formation even intersects with Christianity. More thoughts of my own on this topic coming soon! 4. The Book of Daniel (Introduction) / Spoken WordIt's a big event in our house when Spoken Gospel releases a new introduction video to a book of the Bible. They do an amazing job visually explaining the main themes of books of the Bible and bringing the gospel to the forefront. This introduction video of Daniel premiered last week, and I think it's their best introduction video yet. Check them out! 5. The Enchanted Rose Tour - Grand Floridian ResortAnd for fun: a tour of the new Enchanted Rose Lounge in the Grand Floridian Resort in Disney World. Fun fact, I had a dream of opening a Beauty and the Beast theme cafe and naming it the Enchanted Rose. I had a logo and everything, but Disney beat me to the punch. That's okay. It was a lovely dream, and it is fun to know that I thought of something that Disney also thought about and brought to life. (P.S. Some of the links above are affiliate links, which means that if you click on them and purchase a product, this blog will receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thanks for helping to support She Laughs Without Fear!)
I present this week's Friday Five - a collection of things found along the way this week. 1. Laying with Your Kids at Night is Not a Bad HabitThis one made me want to soak up all of those little moments with Thea that will one day just be memories. It's encouraging to be reminded that the "experts" are not always correct when it comes to doing what loves your children and blesses your relationship with them. 2. The Confessions of a Recovering EvangelistA helpful read for any Christian. Ministering to people in this generation and culture looks different from 30+ years ago. As the article articulates, sharing the gospel with others starts with a whole lot of listening and a lot less talking to start. 3. The End of (Secular) BabiesI've been thinking about this idea a lot since having Thea. 4. Why Your Family Needs to Watch "Togo" This WeekendBrandon and I watched Togo this weekend and I one hundred percent agree with this article that you should watch this film with your family this weekend. 5. Handle with CareI'm eager to share more with you about this book, but it's a good one! I have the privilege of being a part of the launch team for this book, and I have had the pleasure of reading it before it releases in February. This book is a needed dialogue about touch and how Jesus ministered to people through touch.
Well there's my Friday Five for this week. Comment below if you have any favorite things from this week. (P.S. Some of the links above are affiliate links, which means that if you click on them and purchase a product, this blog will receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thanks for helping to support She Laughs Without Fear!) Well, we've come to the end of another week, and it has been quite a full week in my household, between salad dressing spilling all over the place and a little one that is learning to roll over already. Time is not slowing down around here. With the end of another week comes another Friday Five - a curated collection of five things that I enjoyed reading, watching, hearing, or using this week. You'll find them below, but I'd love to hear what your Friday Fives are this week. 1. Live Love Party's Youtube ChannelI'm finally getting back into regular exercise after five months postpartum, and I'll always choose dance over any other type of exercise, so I started dancing to Live Love Party's dance videos on Youtube again. If you like dancing and you want to dance to routines in the convenience of your own home, they have a number of great videos. My personal favorite is Lean On. 2. Swiffer Dusters Dusting KitMy mom cleaned with this duster growing up, and I even received a kit as a wedding present. However, it has been sitting unused under our kitchen sick for years, and I completely forgot that we owned one. That was until I was reorganizing the space under our sink this week, and I rediscovered it. Knowing that our house needed a good dusting, I took it for a spin. Here's the funny thing: I loved it! And I joyfully dusted my entire house in record time. That never happens! I don't think I will ever go back to my rag and spray ever again. 3. How Many Towels Do You Need?We can live on much less than we realize, and Rose Lounsbury explored this idea when it came to her towels, and it led to exploring how she could live with less in other areas of her life. I've been thinking about minimizing A LOT lately, especially with having a baby this past year that now has a lot of stuff. Instead of towels I keep asking myself, how much baby stuff do we actually need? 4. The Sad Tale of The Dionne QuintupletsNot a very happy read, but definitely an interesting one. It's stories like these that just remind me of how broken the world can be at times, but also how amazing God is that he made a world where identical quintuplets are even born. 5. Sparkling IceI resisted the sparkling water trend for quite a while. Mainly I didn't really like sparkling water. After trying it multiple times while living in Poland, I just couldn't get into it. BUT THEN I started buying the Strawberry Lemonade Starbucks Refreshers and suddenly carbonated water wasn't that bad. AND THEN a friend bought me sparkling water for Christmas, and I really liked it. So instead of buying the mini Pepsi cans with real sugar at the store this week, I bought flavored sparkling water instead. Change is possible, friends.
This week's Friday Five has a theme: tv shows and movies. We tend to watch more tv in our house during the winter months when it's too cold to leave the house and it gets dark early. Here are a few things we've been watching and enjoying lately that you might enjoy too. 1. Lady and the TrampAfter recently reading the Lady and the Tramp children's book to Thea , I wanted to see the new live action Lady and the Tramp movie available on Disney+. This new retelling is visually beautiful and holds closely to the original story. 2. Anne With An EIf you're a fan of Anne of Green Gables, you might like this series. It's a new retelling of Anne's story, and the third season just released on Netflix. I've been waiting a year for this next season to release, and I'm so excited to get to enjoy it. 3. HeartlandMy sister read the Heartland books by Lauren Brooks growing up, and Canada's broadcast cable company produced this show that is in its thirteenth season! My family watched this show while we were home for Thanksgiving and Christmas, and I started watching it when we came home. 4. Nailed ItHave you ever tried baking something and it did not turn out like you planned? This show takes that situation to a whole new level. Brandon and I watched a few of the holiday episodes of this show before Christmas, and we died laughing. We now watch it if we need a good laugh. 5. Olaf's Frozen Adventure My mom bought Thea the book Olaf's Night Before Christmas, and it made me want to watch Frozen again. But while looking for Frozen on Disney+, I realized that I have never watched Olaf's Frozen Adventure, so Brandon and I watched it the night before Christmas Eve, and I think watching it might become a new Christmas tradition in our house. It was a sweet little 20 minute film. Well there's my Friday Five for this week. Comment below if you have any favorite things from this week. (P.S. Some of the links above are affiliate links, which means that if you click on them and purchase a product, this blog will receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thanks for helping to support She Laughs Without Fear!) |
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